Sweet & Salty Granola

I have tried MANY different granola recipes.  I've liked them all to some extent, but when I made this one, I stopped searching.  This is the only granola recipe I will use now.  This was the first time I used olive oil in a granola recipe and it really made a difference.  I make this almost every week to use for breakfast or snacks.    You won't be sorry if you try this recipe!

Sweet & Salty Granola  (Adapted from The New York Times)

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup dried cranberries (or any dried fruit)

3/4 cup wheat germ

1 cup of chopped nuts (I use peanuts or almonds)

3/4 cup maple syrup (I've used regular syrup, which is fine, but maple really makes a difference.)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts and fruit.  Mix in the maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

In a bowl, whist the egg white for about 2 minutes, until it becomes foamy.  Mix into the rest of the ingredients.

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Press the granola mixtures down into the pan evenly.  Bake for about 45 minutes, until slightly browned.

Once it is cooled completely, I break into clusters and store in Ziploc bags.